Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study participants.
| Placebo Group | Zinc Group | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age a | 51.1 ± 6.9 | 48.4 ± 6.0 | 0.224 |
| ≥12 years of education b n (%) | 6 (37.5) | 13 (65.0) | 0.101 |
| Body weight (kg) b | 87.56 ± 15.26 | 91.08 ± 15.45 | 0.499 |
| Height a | 1.62 ± 0.07 | 1.63 ± 0.05 | 0.616 |
| BMI (kg/m2) b | 33.70 ± 5.58 | 34.51 ± 6.56 | 0.698 |
| Physical activity (2 times/week) b n (%) | 2 (12.5) | 8 (40.0) | 0.133 |
| Hours of sleep a | 7.0 ± 1.0 | 6.8 ± 1.8 | 0.690 |
| Scores obtained in the Cognitive tests | |||
| MMSE b | 26.81 ± 1.11 | 27.60 ± 1.47 | 0.084 |
| TFV a | 18.94 ± 5.35 | 20.65 ± 4.76 | 0.317 |
| Clock test b | 8.60 ± 1.92 | 9.10 ± 1.21 | 0.352 |
| Stroop test b | 78.19 ± 10.77 | 77.85 ± 21.09 | 0.954 |
| BDI-II b | 12.55 ± 7.09 | 9.11 ± 6.34 | 0.187 |
| BECK a | 16.64 ± 13.73 | 11.53 ± 7.86 | 0.226 |
| Biomarkers b | |||
| Zinc (µg/dL) | 50.8 ± 9.8 | 49.5 ± 7.7 | 0.703 |
| Nitrite (μMol/L) | 9.5 ± 3.1 | 10.8 ± 4.2 | 0.190 |
| IL-1β (pg/mL) | 187.1 ± 162.7 | 150.3 ± 117.2 | 0.922 |
| IL-6 (pg/mL) | 18.4 ± 5.8 | 20.1 ± 6.3 | 0.337 |
| Insulin (pg/mL) | 387.4 ± 575.6 | 406.0 ± 344.7 | 0.076 |
| MCP-1 (pg/mL) | 519.8 ± 1061.2 | 2327.7 ± 1806.8 | 0.009 * |
| TNFα (pg/mL) | 3.20 ± 1.90 | 4.10 ± 3.7 | 0.909 |
| Food record b | |||
| Energy (kcal) | 1365.9 ± 323.6 | 1452.4 ± 417.4 | 0.547 |
| Carbohydrate (kcal) | 625.4 ± 201.7 | 675.4 ± 225.9 | 0.537 |
| Protein (kcal) | 280.3 ± 46.9 | 299.8 ± 79.5 | 0.450 |
| Fat (kcal) | 457.9 ± 144.2 | 455.5 ± 196.9 | 0.971 |
| Zinc (mg) | 7.12 ± 1.83 | 7.01 ± 2.3 | 0.0893 |
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation or n (%). Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Categorical variables (educational level and physical activity) are expressed as number and (%). a Student’s unpaired t-test for continuous variables and the b Mann–Whitney test were used to compare baseline characteristics between placebo and Zn groups. * p < 0.05.